1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of soybean breeding. In particular, the invention relates to the novel soybean variety XR48C15X.
2. Description of Related Art
There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirable plant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meet the program goals. The goal is to combine in a single variety an improved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. These important traits may include higher seed yield, resistance to diseases and insects, better stems and roots, tolerance to drought and heat, better agronomic quality, resistance to herbicides, and improvements in compositional traits.
Soybean, Glycine max (L.), is a valuable field crop. Thus, a continuing goal of plant breeders is to develop stable, high yielding soybean varieties that are agronomically sound. The reasons for this goal are to maximize the amount of grain produced on the land used and to supply food for both animals and humans. To accomplish this goal, the soybean breeder must select and develop soybean plants that have the traits that result in superior varieties.
The oil extracted from soybeans is widely used in food products, such as margarine, cooking oil, and salad dressings. Soybean oil is composed of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a typical composition of 11% palmitic, 4% stearic, 25% oleic, 50% linoleic, and 9% linolenic fatty acid content (“Economic implications of Modified Soybean Traits Summary Report,” Iowa Soybean Promotion Board & American Soybean Association Special Report 92S, May 1990). regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants, such as pollen, flowers, seeds, pods, leaves, stems, and the like.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a composition comprising a seed of soybean variety XR48C15X comprised in plant seed growth media. In certain embodiments, the plant seed growth media is a soil or synthetic cultivation medium. In specific embodiments, the growth medium may be comprised in a container or may, for example, be soil in afield. Plant seed growth media are well known to those of skill in the art and include, but are in no way limited to, soil or synthetic cultivation medium. Advantageously, plant seed growth media can provide adequate physical support for seeds and can retain moisture and/or nutritional components. Examples of characteristics for soils that may be desirable in certain embodiments can be found, for instance, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,932,166 and 4,707,176. Synthetic plant cultivation media are also well known in the art and may, in certain embodiments, comprise polymers or hydrogels. Examples of such compositions are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,537.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a tissue culture of regenerable cells of the soybean variety XR48C15X, as well as plants regenerated therefrom, wherein the regenerated soybean plant is capable of expressing all the morphological and physiological characteristics of a plant grown from the soybean seed designated XR48C15X.
Yet another aspect of the current invention is a soybean plant further comprising a single locus conversion. In one embodiment, the soybean plant is defined as comprising the single locus conversion and otherwise capable of expressing all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of the soybean variety XR48C15X. In particular embodiments of the invention, the single locus conversion may comprise a transgenic gene which has been introduced by genetic transformation into the soybean variety XR48C15X or a progenitor thereof. In still other embodiments of the invention, the single locus conversion may comprise a dominant or recessive allele. The locus conversion may confer potentially any trait upon the single locus converted plant, including herbicide resistance, insect resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, male fertility or sterility, and improved nutritional quality.
Still yet another aspect of the invention relates to a first generation (F1) hybrid soybean seed produced by crossing a plant of the soybean variety XR48C15X to a second soybean plant. Also included in the invention are the F1 hybrid soybean plants grown from the hybrid seed produced by crossing the soybean variety XR48C15X to a second soybean plant. Still further included in the invention are the seeds of an F1 hybrid plant produced with the soybean variety XR48C15X as one parent, the second generation (F2) hybrid soybean plant grown from the seed of the F1 hybrid plant, and the seeds of the F2 hybrid plant.
Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method of producing soybean seeds comprising crossing a plant of the soybean variety XR48C15X to any second soybean plant, including itself or another plant of the variety XR48C15X. In particular embodiments of the invention, the method of crossing comprises the steps of a) planting seeds of the soybean variety XR48C15X; b) cultivating soybean plants resulting from said seeds until said plants bear flowers; c) allowing fertilization of the flowers of said plants; and d) harvesting seeds produced from said plants.
Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method of producing hybrid soybean seeds comprising crossing the soybean variety XR48C15X to a second, distinct soybean plant which is nonisogenic to the soybean variety XR48C15X. In particular embodiments of the invention, the crossing comprises the steps of a) planting seeds of soybean variety XR48C15X and a second, distinct soybean plant, b) cultivating the soybean plants grown from the seeds until the plants bear flowers; c) cross pollinating a flower on one of the two plants with the pollen of the other plant, and d) harvesting the seeds resulting from the cross pollinating.
Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method for developing a soybean plant in a soybean breeding program comprising: obtaining a soybean plant, or its parts, of the variety XR48C15X; and b) employing said plant or parts as a source of breeding material using plant breeding techniques. In the method; the plant breeding techniques may be selected from the group consisting of recurrent selection, mass selection; bulk selection; backcrossing, pedigree breeding, genetic marker-assisted selection and genetic transformation. In certain embodiments of the invention, the soybean plant of variety XR48C15X is used as the male or female parent.
Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method of producing a soybean plant derived from the soybean variety XR48C15X, the method comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived from soybean variety XR48C15X by crossing a plant of the soybean variety XR48C15X with a second soybean plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a progeny plant of a subsequent generation which is derived from a plant of the soybean variety XR48C15X. In one embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: (c) crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for, in some embodiments, at least 2; 3, 4 or more additional generations to produce an inbred soybean plant derived from the soybean variety XR48C15X. Also provided by the invention is a plant produced by this and the other methods of the invention.
In another embodiment of the invention, the method of producing a soybean plant derived from the soybean variety XR48C15X further comprises: (a) crossing the soybean variety XR48C15X-derived soybean plant with itself or another soybean plant to yield additional soybean variety XR48C15X-derived progeny soybean seed; (b) growing the progeny soybean seed of step (a) under plant growth conditions to yield additional soybean variety XR48C15X-derived soybean plants; and (c) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (a) and (b) to generate further soybean variety XR48C15X-derived soybean plants. In specific embodiments, steps (a) and (h) may be repeated at least 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 or more times as desired. The invention still further provides a soybean plant produced by this and the foregoing methods.